The present invention relates to a process for the manufacture of shoes having a wooden base, which process provides remarkable improvements and advantages with respect to known processes for the manufacture of shoes.
Many shoes are at present being manufactured with a wooden sole to compete, insofar as their finish and design are concerned, with shoes which are made from different materials and processes, such as skin, leather, etc.
It is clear that the conventional construction of the shoe having a leather sole and insole cannot be used in the manufacture of shoes having a wooden base. Therefore, special processes and techniques have always been used. Thus, for example, due to the difficulties of securing the upper to the base of the shoe, the upper was discarded, the base of the shoe was raised by means of blocks, and the shoe was secured to the foot by means of belts.
Also, there has been used a wooden base provided with transverse holes which form passageways for belts or bands which, joined to the foot of the user, secured the assembly.
On the other hand, and in an attempt to proportion a shoe having a wooden base with a conventional appearance, various tests have been carried out, so that on a wooden piece designed to act as the shoe sole, there have been made a series of holes parallel to the sole edge, which holes at their lower surface lead into a groove. The purpose of the holes is to permit stitching of the upper of the shoe to the wood base, while the groove serves the purpose of housing the stitching cord, so that the cord is not worn out by the friction of the lower surface of the shoe against the sole.
This known process presents important difficulties in realization, due to the fact that the bases and the height of the heel complicate the piercing and stitching operations, and also due to the fact that a posterior complete covering of the lower surface of the shoe must be added so that the stitching is not visible. Therefore, a shoe wherein the upper is not extended to the heel was designed, and also shoes of the "chanclos" (open-heel sandals) type were made, i.e. with only a forward upper instead of a complete upper since, due to the open heel design, the highest part of the base, i.e. the heel, need not be pierced.
This arrangement presents two important inconveniences:
1. Sewing of the partial upper is slow and too much cord is consumed.
2. The holes and groove weaken the base, making it fragile.